On Technology

Wicked Wikis

Wikis seem to be a great way for target groups of people to share, coordinate and organise input without having to meet with each other in the flesh - especially using a closed model for a select group. I think an open model could easily get out of control if not monitored.

What a great way for a group of friends to plan a travel itinerary!

In libraries I think closed model wikis could be utilised as a way for team members of a particular ‘working group’, who are located at different branches, to collaborate ideas before their regular meetings eg. Reference Action Group. This would enable staff to be better prepared, and lead to more efficient meetings. Also it could be a useful tool for storytelling staff across the branches to contribute any ideas/activities/songs they have for use with our storytelling kits - a way of increasing resources.

I checked out the following Wikis:

1. Wookieepedia – because the name caught my interest. This would be a great source of information if this was an area of interest, which it isn’t of mine. Hence I found it rather overwhelming.

2. Book Lovers Wiki at the Princeton Public Library – I liked this one because it has a simple layout and is easy to navigate around.

3. Library Success: A best practices wiki – very ‘clean cut’ and easy to travel through, however often a lot of ‘clicking’ on links to get to the end result.

Flickr Photo Sharing

I had a lot of fun looking up photos of different subjects. Flickr does seem to be a great way to store, search, sort and share your photos.
The two things that really interested me were:
Firstly, that it is a great safe way of keeping a backup of your photos (in case of that dreaded disaster in life of fire or flood); plus,the facilities of adding titles and keywords to tag which keep them organised and findable.
Secondly you can choose who you want to view your photos - private or public.
The photos I have chosen (I couldn't just choose one)are of my favourite architectural landmark, which I discovered when I was travelling - The Temple of Borobodur in Java. Every time I see a book on Indonesia I always flick through to see if there are any photos of this temple. I have never thought to look on the Internet for photos and information about it until now. I was so excited to discover so many photos showing different aspects of this marvellous man made creation. I am amazed at the photos and web sites available on this temple.
I have included one photo which shows the overall view.
In order to appreciate the magnificence of this temple check out these photos, which show more detail.
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Also check out Wikipedia to get an idea of the beauty and complexity of this marvellous architectural feat.

Step 1 Completed.

Well I've managed to set up my blog without too much difficulty - nothing fancy. It will be interesting to see what the next step is in this learning process.
I can see how blogging is a great two way street for people to share, trade and collaborate information.
I wish this facility had been available when I was travelling - would have saved a lot of repetitive writing of letters and postcards to sent to keep family and friends in touch.

Keeping Up With Technology

It’s funny how your role as a parent reverses as you and your children grow older. Now I find I’m the pupil as my kids try to keep me techno informed.

Yes, I’ve progressed from floppy discs to CD\DVDs to USB sticks; from the old cassette Walkman to the Discman to the IPOD; and can email and text message. I’ve still got Face book to master. One daughter wants to teach me and the other one says she’s not letting me be her “friend” for fear of what I might see - the mind boggles.

Mobile phones – you can’t buy just a phone any more – it’s a camera, radio, recorder, has email and web applications etc.

The thing about technology is that everything is multifunctional, and therefore comes with a thick manual, which I find rather overwhelming and never have enough time to read. I’d like to know who does?

I must admit, I tend to avoid things that involve sitting in front of a computer at home as, I’m stuck in front of a computer all day at work. Hence I have a tendency to resist using a lot of this modern technology as it involves looking at a computer screen.

With the pace technology is advancing I wonder how I’ll ever keep up – it's easy to see how old folk can get left behind. Therefore, I am very happy to be working in libraries as this provides me with exposure to and learning opportunities in the techno world.

Anyway I am now embracing the opportunity to out techno my girls as neither of them have blogs. So here goes…